Mark Whitney DMSc, PA-C

Mark is a certified Physician Assistant who has been practicing since 2014. He earned his Masters degree in Physician Assistant studies from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in North Chicago, Illinois. He most recently earned his Doctor of Medical Science degree in 2020 from the University of Lynchburg. Prior to that, he attended Northern Illinois University, earning is Bachelor of Science degree in 2006, focusing on biological sciences.

Mark began his career as a PA by spending two years in Urgent Care medicine. Since 2016, he has specialized in Venous and Lymphatic Medicine. Over the past year, he has shifted his focus more towards aesthetic medicine, particularly GLP-1 treatments for weight management.

When not working, he enjoys spending his time with his wife and three young kids. You can find him coaching on the softball field, playing catch in the backyard, or going on family walks with the dogs.

Why he is passionate about non-surgical weight loss methods (GLP-1s):

In November 2024, my sister underwent a bariatric procedure without first being offered the opportunity to try GLP-1 medication. This was supposed to be the beginning of a new, healthier life for her. Within hours of completing the surgery, she was in septic shock due to a leak in her intestines, and was rushed back into the OR. After weeks in the ICU and being on a ventilator, she would recover from the initial septic shock and then spend the next 8 months in the ICU, a hospital step down unit, and a rehab hospital due to numerous complications from the initial procedure. On June 29, 2025, with family by her side, the chronic abdominal infections would take their final toll and cost my sister her life, leaving her 11 year old son without a mother and our family completely crushed. 

Being in the medical field, I know there is no such thing as a routine surgery. There are always risks we take when going under the knife, but had she been offered a GLP-1 medication first, knowing what I know now, may have changed the whole outcome. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think about that. I do not want any family to go through what we have experienced. 

A mother, a sister, a daughter, a granddaughter, an aunt, a friend, a co-worker, a human being. Everyone has a purpose, and my sisters' will help others. This is why I find GLP-1 medications to be extremely important in the weight loss journey.